Ascent Classical Academy of Northern Denver

Ascent Classical Academy of Northern Denver is a K-8 charter school in Brighton, CO, serving 305 students under the State Charter School Institute. The school ranks in the lower-middle tier statewide, placing 600th out of 943 Colorado schools in 2025-26, a slight dip from the prior year.

Academically, Ascent's overall proficiency rates sit below both state and district averages in English Language Arts and math, with a notable 12-point drop in ELA proficiency from 39.2% to 27.1% in a single year. However, the 5th grade class stands out as a clear bright spot, posting ELA proficiency of 50%—edging past the state average of 49.9%—and math proficiency of 40%, also above state and district levels. The school's 5th grade science results (33.3%) also beat nearby Northeast Elementary School (8.8%) and Meadow Ridge Elementary School by wide margins. In contrast, 3rd and 6th grade ELA scores are alarmingly low—17.4% and 20.8% respectively—suggesting a possible pipeline issue in early literacy instruction.

One of the school's strongest assets is attendance: chronic absenteeism is just 21.2%, well below the district rate of 30.4% and state rate of 28.4%, and among the best in the area. Ascent also outperforms its nearest neighbor, Northeast Elementary, across every academic subject, though it trails Foundations Academy, another K-8 charter in Brighton, by roughly 14 points in both ELA and math. A persistent concern is the White student subgroup, which has ranked in the 7th percentile statewide for three consecutive years—a statistically severe underperformance that warrants attention from parents and the school's authorizer, especially given the strong attendance foundation the school already enjoys.